Crane.



No. 692,596. Pa te'hted Feb. 4, I902. s. L, BATZEL.

" (:rmua,v 1 (Application filed. Apr. is, 1901.)

(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-$heet 2.

WITNESSES.- INVENTOl-T "m: nonms PETERS 00., mom'urnoq wAsmnnYon, u. 1,

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SETH L. BATZEL, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

CRANE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 692,596, dated February 4, 1902.

Application filed April 16, 1901. Serial No. 56,036. on model.)

T0 ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH L. BATZEL,.a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Crane, of which the following is a f n11,

, with the present methods.

This specification is a specific description of one form of the invention, while the claims are definitions of the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side view of theinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the parts in a difierent position. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the handles,

and Fig. 5 is a detail view hereinafter more fully described.

5 indicates the overhead track, on which the mechanism is hung, and 6 is the wheel which runs on the track. This wheel is connected to a hanger 7, carrying, loosely an axle 8, the axle being fast in a casing or body 9, arranged within the hanger. Fastened to the casing 9 at each side thereof are ratchetwheels 10, and each of these wheels works with two pawls (designated 11 and 12,respectively.) The pawls 11 and 12 are carried pivotally on hand-levers 14, the pawls 11 being in the form of hooks and being arranged at the upper sides of their respective levers, and the pawls 12 having weighted ends 15, serving to keep the bills or points of the pawls in engagement with the ratchet-wheels. The pawls 11 engage the ratchet-wheels by force of gravity. On each hand-lever 14 is a thumb-latch 16, connected with a rod 17. These rods pass through guides 18 on the hand-levers and have connectionsv at their inner ends with arms 19, pivotally mounted on the hand-levers 14 and arranged between the pawls 11 and 12. A spring 20 is arranged around each rod 17, and these springs serve to throw the rods inward toward the axle 8. By manipulating the handlatches 16 the rods 17are drawn outward, and this throws the arms 19 apart, engaging them respectively with the pawls 11 and 12 and spreading the pawls so as to cause them to disengage the ratchet-wheels. Normally the pawls are engaged with theratchet-wheels, and by moving the hand-levers'alternately up and down the casing 9 may be turned around its axis, causing it to move from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3.

21 indicates a bar adjustably held on the casing 9 and having a hook 22 at its front end. This hook is "engaged with a rod 23, which passes down to the pivot 24 of the two arms 25 of the crucible-tongs. 26 indicates the crucible, and. 27 the jaws of the tongs, which are arranged to embraceand hold the crucible. The arms 25 extend upward to and have connection respectively with bars28, the details of which are best shown in Fig. 5, in which it will be seen that the openings in the bars 28, through which the arms 25 pass,

are beveled at the top and bottom, so that the bars will not bind on the arms, and the arms are provided with shoulders .25 below the bars 28 and with nuts 25 above the arms 25. These bars 28 are pivotally connected together at their forward ends and have handle-pieces 29 at their rear or free ends. The form of the arms 25 is such that the bars 28 are supported in proper place on the arms. Fastened to each bar is a slotted quadrant '30, these quadrants being loosely engaged With therod 23. By throwing the bars 28 toward and from each other the arms 25 of the tongs may be actuated to open or close the jaws 27, thus to grasp or releasethe crucible, and when the parts of the tongs are suspended by the rod 23 the strain of this rod will tend to holdthe jaws engaged with the crucible. A fork and pin 29 are employed for holding the handle-pieces 29 together when closed, thus keeping the jaws. 27 engaged with the crucible and preventing the bars 28 fromspreading.

In using the invention the bars 28 are .ac-

tuated to open the tongs and the tongs arethen engaged with the crucible, after which the hand-levers 14 are actuated to rock the casing 9, thus placing strainon the tongs and lifting the crucible out of the fire. This will place the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3, and when this has been effected the entire crane may be moved to any point desired along the track 5. To release the crucible, the thumb-latches 16 should be operated to disengage the pawls ll and 12, and by working the hand-levers alternately the crane may be gradually returned to the position shown in Fig. 1, or, if desired, to a position lower than that, it being understood that the parts are capable of movement to more extreme positions than those shown in the drawings.

Various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of my invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I consider myself entitled to all such variations as may lie within the scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A crane, comprising tongs, a rockable body portion from which the tongs are suspended, and means for rocking the body to raise or lower the tongs.

2. A crane, comprising tongs, a rockablysupported body from which the tongs are suspended, a ratchet-wheel connected with the body, a hand-lever, and a pawl on the handlever.

3. The combination of a rockably-supported body, a ratchet-wheel thereon, a hand-lever, two pawls carried thereby and normally engaging the ratchet-Wheel, and means on the hand-lever for spreading the pawls to disengage the ratchet-wheel.

4. The combination of a rockably-supported body, a ratchet-wheel thereon, a hand-lever, a pawl mounted on the upper side of the lever and engaging the ratchet-Wheel, a pawl carried on the under side of the hand-lever and having a counterweight serving to throw the pivot of the pawl upward against the ratchet-wheel, and means carried on the handlever for spreading the pawls apart to disengage the ratchet-wheel.

5. The combination of a track, a body portion arranged to move thereon, means for rocking the body portion, and tongs carried by the body portion.

6. The combination of tong-sections, pivotally-connected bars engaged with the tongsections to permit operating the same, a supporting-rod connected with the tong-sections, and quadrants carried by the bars and slidably engaged with the rod.

7. The combination of tong-sections, a supporting-rod, and bars arranged to move toward and from each other and engaged respectively with the tong-sections to facilitate the manipulation thereof.

8. The combination of a rockably-sustained body portion, means for rocking the same, a beam supported on the body portion, a rod hung from the beam, tong-sections connected with the rod, and bars mounted to move toward and from each other and engaged with the tong-sections to facilitate the manipulation thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SETH L. BA'IZ EL.

Witnesses:

ADAM B. BUTTER, HENRY P. MCKINNEY. 

